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The Dark Flame
Thomas Meyer (also known as the Dark Flame) is the tritagonist/fallen hero in The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat, the main antagonist in The X-Adults: Endgame: The Inferno Relit, and the quarternary antagonist in The X-Adults: Endgame: The New Order. Considered one of the most powerful dark mutants of all time, second only to Mr. Stupid NoHead, he commands the Knights of Meyer until his downfall at the hands of Sebiscuits Cardarphen. Background Origins Birth Thomas Meyer was born at some point prior to January 6, 2020 in secret as the result of a liaison between Annabeth Black. In March, his father was banished to a mysterious void in the Battle of Yellowstone, and in June, his mother died after the Skirmish in the City Volcano. This left the infant Thomas an orphan as his mother had been. Sandra and Ed Meyer took Thomas in and raised him. According to Thomas, his parents found him by coincidence. Thomas' cousin through adoption, Ramona, had joined the Darkness around this time, becoming the Dark Woman, though she ensured Thomas was unaware of this. After Ramona disappeared, Thomas became deeply worried about his cousin's safety from a young age. Lazar years When he was seven years of age, Thomas met Oza Santiago, a schoolteacher who promised to induce him into an academy in Columbia called the Lazar Institute. Thomas thus began his first year at Lazar, where he excelled at his work and absorbed much of the strength-obsessed and darkness-flavored school culture, but ran afoul of its rigid hierarchies. An extremely talented mutant with an attractive, winsome personality and solemn disposition, he, like many similar others, felt the pull of the Darkness. As a Lazar student, he was taught that the Darkness is a means to an end, a powerful and mysterious tool for a strong-willed young mutant to use to achieve his ends, as well as not adequately convinced of their tendency to lead down a dark path of moral deterioration. ‘Twisted experiments’ had been the reason for Thomas' expulsion from Lazar in 2036 before graduating, but his mischievousness and disdain for rules probably played a role as well in such an authoritarian institution as Lazar. Keenly interested in history, lore, and the power of artifacts, he became fascinated with the Sword of Abomination, to the point of appropriating their runic symbol as his own personal emblem and engraving it on the walls of Lazar prior to his departure. Physical appearance Thomas Meyer was a stoic, young superhero. His supersuit, which was blue, had a 'c' on the top left. He was slim and stood at 201 centimeters as an adult. His regular, serious face and fierce green eyes were framed by the locks of his long light brown hair. He was clean-shaven, well tanned, fit, muscular, slightly taller (by about one to two inches) than his master turned archenemy, Master Intelligence, very strong and said to be strikingly handsome. As a villain, the Dark Flame had yellow slits for eyes and wore a set of elegant black robes with a wide belt on his slim waist. He would also wear a dark mask on occasion, which partially covered his gaunt facial features. His hair, once light brown, had fallen out and become raven-black, making the pure black of his hair color comparable to Team of Terror member Summer Petersen. Personality Thomas Meyer was charming and brilliant as a young man. His attraction to the Darkness, noted previously, was predictable given his personality and background, and not necessary malevolent in its initial stages. He was highly intelligent, powerful, idealistic, as well as ambitious to the point of ruthlessness, with a vicious temper: for example, when Baby Strength challenged his and Master Intelligence’s plans and tried to convince his friend to abandon his darker ambitions, Centauri “lost control” and used lightning against Baby Strength, showing his willingness to cause pain to people who challenged him. Later when the Dark Flame dueled Anakin Organa he eventually overpowered his opponent but opted to incapacitate him through electrocution as a manner of torture as opposed to killing him outright. Some considered the Dark Flame the most powerful villain in history, aside from Mr. Stupid NoHead. Of course, history is very long indeed, and the most recent parts are often best remembered. The Dark Flame was extremely arrogant and self-centered, but able to recognize talent in others and form (or pretend to form) close human connections. He demonstrated manipulative skills and the willingness to use them for his own purposes. Apparently, he had little interest in, or patience with, those he considered beneath him. He considered Master Intelligence an equal and praised the tremendous potential of the Obskiat Maggie Credence, for instance, but was dismissive of the less talented and intelligent members of the S.M.S.B., especially the permanently damaged Force Baby, and also, initially, Maggie, whom the Dark Flame initially callously discarded when he seemingly became no longer useful. His dismissal suggested that the Dark Flame had a weakness for jumping to conclusions, or a weakness of arrogantly discarding something without remorse if it proved useless for his intentions. In addition to being a fierce elitist, Thomas Meyer possessed a genius-level intellect and a ruthless streak. Aside from his ability to create carefully-woven plans to achieve his goals, he was able to mimic the personality of Olivia Alexandra Mary for some time without arousing suspicion - the only time he truly aroused anyone's suspicion was when he interrogated the Organa brothers and labelled the Obskiat as 'useless', which provoked the curiosity of the Organas. Thus, the Dark Flame either lapsed in his facade at this point, or incorporated his own ruthlessness and calculative nature into that of Olivia Mary. However, other than this, the Dark Flame showed himself to be a master manipulator - he effortlessly exploited Maggie by appealing to the baby in a way nobody else tried to and offering to accept the girl into his ranks. Even after it became clear that Maggie was extremely powerful and phenomenally dangerous, the Dark Flame calmly continued to try and exploit her, and was outraged when the Prime Minister opted to have her officers seemingly destroy her. The Dark Flame was idealistic to an extreme, having absolutely no complaints about the murder of hundreds of innocent people as long as that accomplished his long-term goals. Indeed, the Dark Flame's idealism even prompted him to truly break his disguise in London, expressing his disgust for the laws against violence, and then proceeding to attack the superheroes who had seemingly killed Colby. Even when apprehended by Anakin and Jay Organa, the Dark Flame was unfazed, arrogantly questioning Minister Hickory's ability to contain a mutant of his reputation and power. Like Mr. Stupid NoHead, he was incapable of love, which he deemed “a cliched path to destruction.” In comparison to the “stupid” evil exhibited by some beings, the “officious” evil exhibited by the likes of the Gladiator, or the “chaotic”, “narcissistic” evil characteristic of Mr. Stupid NoHead, the Dark Flame is probably best understood in terms of sociopathy. He was filled with intrinsic manipulative traits and the willingness to use them for his own purposes, as well as a malleable moral compass. In addition, he had little interest in, or patience with, those he considered beneath him. He considered Master Intelligence an equal, for instance, but was dismissive of the less talented and intelligent Baby Strength and the unstable Force Baby. The Dark Flame was idealistic to an extreme, and was possibly a racist supremacist as well as a Fobble-hater. He had absolutely no complaints about the murder of hundreds of innocent people who, from his perspective, were lesser than he. That being said, he did understand at least the rudiments of how death affected other people, judging from the fact that he fled in fear of his life after the intense duel between him, Master Intelligence, and Baby Strength which resulted in Force Baby’s death. In his later days, he held Mr. Stupid NoHead in complete contempt, considering him a powerful idiot who understood nothing of importance. When in old age, whilst dueling the S.M.S.B. in their own headquarters, he was openly defiant and even mocking, goading Master Intelligence during their duel. Indeed, he seemed to exhibit a grotesque remnant of the merry temperament of his youth, as though glad he finally had someone interesting to fight. His last stand against Sebiscuits Cardarphen and rather optimistic outlook on “the next great adventure” seems clear in its connection to his old friend Master Intelligence. Powers and abilities Thomas Meyer was a mutant of tremendous power, talented even while still a Lazar student, being one of the most brilliant students ever to have attended the school. Indeed, he was one of the greatest mutants in history. As a former master of the Sword of Abomination, Meyer's already extremely formidable power was further enhanced by the artifact's legendary powers, allowing him to perform strikes more powerful than any believed to be otherwise possible. Even in his disguise as Olivia Alexandra Mary, the Dark Flame was still formidable and dangerous. Powers Light Apart from his incredible skills in sword combat, Thomas wielded near-absolute mastery over the Light. The levels of mutantry that flowed through him made him a nearly-unstoppable force. Centauri was a powerful user of telekinetic attacks and defenses. His telekinesis was proficient enough that Centauri was known to use telekinetic halts in combat. He generated forceful shockwaves to move and otherwise exert force on people and objects using hand gestures. He was able to break apart the ground near him to send the pieces of it flying at an opponent or even send an automobile flying across a street telekinetically. He could perform relatively simple feats and turn them into rough ones, giving him an advantage over Ramona Meyer. Centauri was noted to be extremely talented and prodigiously skilled while still a student of Lazar Institute, and his skills, mastery, and understanding of mutantry, were considered to be on par with those of Master Intelligence, which induced the two young men to befriend one another. Centauri's frighteningly tremendous skills would make him a seemingly unstoppable opponent. Even while serving the Light, he was proficient with the use of lightning, testifying to his extreme skill in Light powers as well. Master Intelligence claimed that Centauri could render himself invisible without any form of support. Centauri's shield was also incredibly powerful. Centauri also had an understanding of healing powers. *'Deteleportation:' Like most adult mutants, Thomas was able to teleport, something he mastered at the alarmingly early age of nine. Darkness Apart from his incredible skills in sword combat, Thomas wielded near-absolute mastery over the Darkness when he turned to its power. The levels of mutantry that flowed through him made him a nearly-unstoppable force. He quickly and effortlessly Stunned George Thames II in order to master the Sword of Abomination. The Dark Flame was a powerful user of telekinetic attacks and defenses. He was capable of holding a bullet midair for several seconds, and he could telepathically invade the minds of his prisoners and psychologically torture them into revealing withheld information. His telekinesis was proficient enough that the Dark Flame was known to use telekinetic halts in combat. He generated forceful shockwaves to move and otherwise exert force on people and objects using hand gestures. He was able to break apart the ground near him to send the pieces of it flying at an opponent or even send an automobile flying across a street telekinetically. He could perform relatively simple feats, such as telekinetically summoning Jay Organa's knapsack to him, causing it to fly across a room and land next to him. In the same instance, he also proved capable of more complicated feats when he lifted Jay Organa from the ground from across the room and used the Darkness to restrain him, Hayden Weber and Jade Stokowski simultaneously, before putting Jay back down on the floor. When interrogating Jay, he penetrated the protective orb containing an Obskiat to his side by gesturing it forth. The Dark Flame was noted to be extremely talented and prodigiously skilled while still a student of Lazar Institute, and his skills, mastery, and understanding of mutantry, were considered to be on par with those of Master Intelligence, which induced the two young men to befriend one another. As an adult, the Dark Flame was generally considered to be the most dangerous Dark mutant who had ever existed, with the sole exception Mr. Stupid NoHead emerged many years earlier. The Dark Flame's frighteningly tremendous skills, further amplified by his mastery over the Sword of Abomination, would make him a seemingly unstoppable opponent. The Dark Flame terrorized much of North America, only being defeated by the equally prodigious Sebiscuits Cardarphen. The Dark Flame had a talent and passion for the Darkness from a young age. In his school days, he experimented with Darkness on his fellow students at Lazar with lethal results and was expelled for it. He was proficient with the use of lightning, notably using it against Baby Strength. Thomas continued using a few applications of Light powers as well. The Dark Flame's shield was also incredibly powerful, protecting him from a barrage of beams fired at him by over ten officers simultaneously. *'Deteleportation:' Like most adult mutants, Thomas was able to teleport. He used this power both as an S.M.S.B. member and as the Master of the Knights of Meyer. Abilities *'Intellectual genius:' Thomas Meyer was not only a great mutant, but also possessed an incredible intellect, as he was considered to be equally brilliant to Master Intelligence, when both of them were of the same age. Indeed, even after spending an entire day in intellectually stimulating discussions with Centauri, Master Intelligence would still unexpectedly send Centauri messages right after sudden ideas struck him, with him having to let Centauri know of them immediately. *'Stealth:' As an adult, aside from his ability to create complex and carefully-woven plans to achieve his goals, such as subtly apprehending Minister Hickory's right-hand man Olivia Alexandra Mary and infiltrating the government by assuming his identity, The Dark Flame was able to perfectly mimic the personality of Olivia Mary, and convincingly carry out her many duties as an officer, the Head of the Department of Justice, and the Director of Security, while also gradually managing to locate the rampaging Obskiat, all without arousing suspicion. *'Manipulation:' As a young man, Centauri displayed a talent for the manipulation of others, being able to charm and manipulate his best friend Master Intelligence into accompanying him on his intended grand revolution and quest for the Arts, with only the timely intervention of Baby Strength stopping their Master, much to the Dark Flame's fury. The Dark Flame displayed his superb manipulation skills again, this time with Maggie Credence, while himself being disguised as Olivia Alexandra Mary, in order to gain the young mutant's trust, and use him in his own search for the Obskiat. He successfully played the role of a friendly and supportive mentor figure towards Credence, being able to console the latter in moments of depression, through feigned support and affection. The Dark Flame also seemed confident in his ability to talk down Credence when the latter was in a phenomenally dangerous Obscurial form, and was therefore beside himself with fury when President Hickory and her other officers seemingly destroyed Colby. The Dark Flame was also successful in inspiring loyalty in a sufficient number of individuals to rise an army of fanatical followers who, under the Dark Flame's leadership, terrorized much of America in the Shadow Wars for years in their attempt to overthrow the government. *'Acting skills:' The Dark Flame also proved to be a superb actor, evidenced by him successfully hiding his true nature and infiltrating the government by assuming the identity of President Hickory's right-hand man Olivia Alexandra Mary, perfectly imitating Olivia's personality traits and being able to convincingly carry out Olivia's many duties (as an officer, the Head of the Department of Justice, and the Director of Security), as well as suppressing his own tremendous abilities just enough to not arouse suspicion. *'History:' The Dark Flame had good knowledge of history and lore, especially the portions of it that pertained to powerful artifacts such as the Arts and the nature of swords. Light While still a student of Lazar Institute, Thomas was a duelist of tremendous skill, and his skills, mastery, and understanding of mutantry, were considered to be on par with those of Master Intelligence, which induced the two young men to befriend one another. While not as skilled as Mr. Stupid NoHead, he was still one of the greatest duelists of all time. Indeed, he was one of the very few who was the equal of Sebiscuits and Master Intelligence when both latters were at the height of their power. Even before joining the Dark side, he was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim. Centauri's complex style kept his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of sword combat and stances, Centauri was a terrifying opponent. His dueling style was extremely aggressive; his style was a combination of brutal aggression and lethal precision making him an almost unstoppable opponent. Darkness The Dark Flame was a duelist of tremendous skill. While not as skilled as Mr. Stupid NoHead, he was still one of the greatest duelists of all time. Indeed, he was one of the very few who was the equal of Sebiscuits and Master Intelligence when both latters were at the height of their power. He was seen besting Jay Organa and former police officer Hayden Weber, even simultaneously fending off over ten sword-wielding police at once, and beginning to incapacitate them one after the other in rapid succession before Organa managed to catch him off-guard by restraining his hands from behind. As a result of his tremendous skill, he held his own against Lindsay Kellerman while also engaged with Sebiscuits Cardarphen. He also put up a ferocious fight against the latter, but was eventually killed. He was able to hold his own against Master Intelligence for three hours straight in a sword duel, a testament to the Dark Flame's incredible dueling skill. In the end, he actually came out ahead. After their first faceoff, during which time he also fought Baby Strength and proved he was ambidextrous and could change his fighting style at a whim, Master Intelligence remarked that he was "just a tint more skillful" than Centauri. The Dark Flame's complex style kept his opponents unsure of what his next move would be. A master of every form of sword combat and stances, the Dark Flame was a terrifying opponent. His dueling style was extremely aggressive; his style was a combination of brutal aggression and lethal precision making him an almost unstoppable opponent. Appearances The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat Joining the S.M.S.B. After expulsion, Thomas’ quest for information about the Sword of Abomination led him to New York City, where Mean King had been laid to rest. Conveniently, his great-aunt, acclaimed merchant Myra Gordon, lived there and provided a place for him to stay, complete with a treasure trove of books and documents and a minimum of supervision. The day after his arrival, Thomas, with Myra's assistance, sent boxes of Shock-o-Chocs filled with animated air horns saying "really rude things" to the Knights of Plague. It was in Myra’s house in early 2042 that Thomas met and befriended Master Intelligence. The two teenagers shared a lot in common: they were intellectuals and class-toppingly talented young mutants who were idealistic and ambitious. (Master Intelligence, who felt trapped by the death of his friend Red X and familial obligation, gained a glamorous connection to the excitement of faraway places and things in Thomas. Thomas, an ego case, gained a powerful ally, complete with stimulating conversation, who didn’t threaten his sense of control.) Thomas joined the S.M.S.B. and took the name of Centauri. It is clear that the pair were very close and the platonic affection was genuine on both sides. They shaped one another’s ideas, powers, as well as destinies from that day forth. They also shared two preoccupations. The Sword of Abomination held their fascination for many shared reasons, but their most fundamental reasons they didn’t quite have in common. Centauri wanted (together with his friend) to acquire the Sword and wield its power, with the controlling motive common to many sociopaths — no one else can be trusted, the only way to assure things stay good is to take control for oneself, the only way to take control is to be strong. Master Intelligence yearned for the Sword because he believed that with it, no villains would do very much, and none of his friends and allies could be killed like Red X and Paige. They also dreamed of protecting the Muggles and beginning centuries of world peace. Again, Intelligence’s reasons were subtly different: in his youth, he was traumatized by Operation: Purge and the deaths of his parents, and was determined not to lose any other loved ones. When Centauri returned to the MBH, he accidentally released three zerads. Thanks to Ramona, they were able to escape, and Ramona joined them for dinner, during which time he met the other members of the S.M.S.B. Tragedy In 2048, Centauri's parents were killed. Centauri was depressed by this event, and he refused to speak to any of the other S.M.S.B. members out of grief. When Centauri learned that they had yet to be buried, he immediately went to Nicole's thrift store to purchase a shovel. After learning of this from Veronica, Nicole showed him where to find them. When he found the shovel, Veronica rung him up and he finished his trip there. He immediately buried them, just as Sebiscuits arrived, having canceled his skating trip with his parents (in a dishonest way) in order to do so. Mission to the t and i Factory and aftermath Unbeknownst to Centauri, the Dark Woman was secretly mounting a return using the hologram pit to record her knowledge and discover the secrets of the S.M.S.B. Along with Master Intelligence and the others, Centauri moved to thwart the Dark Woman. The group suffered a series of exhausting and difficult challenges down in the t and i Factory chambers, in an attempt to stop the pit from being stolen and the Dark Woman destroying Master Intelligence. Throughout the challenges the group was picked off one by one and in the final task, Centauri was left on his own when Master Intelligence was unable to pass through, this left Centauri to face the Dark Woman alone. The Dark Woman bound Centauri and summoned a wall of fire behind the door to prevent him from escaping, then tempted her cousin with the promise to bring his parents back from the dead. Centauri still refused, so the Dark Woman attempted his murder. She withdrew, however, when she suddenly realized she loved Centauri too much to hurt him. Centauri was goaded beyond endurance, and he furiously grabbed her by the arms and ripped them cleanly off. As the Dark Woman screamed in agony, Centauri smashed open the walls with his powers and sent the electricity from the wires directly into the Dark Woman's heart. While Centauri defended his vicious slaughter as "necessary", the death of his last family member haunted him for the rest of his life. He also began to question the reality of the S.M.S.B., which was continually taking in new members. Skirmish in the Church of Styricataearetrea and aftermath Shortly before his fortieth birthday, Centauri was captured by the Styricat, a criminal organization in Africa. He learned that they worshiped the NoHead Recruits and considered Annabeth Black — his own mother — to be the Queen of the Gods. They nearly erased him, but he and Lindsay Kellerman had a narrow escape thanks to the timely intervention of Ms. Embodiment and Morgan. They met up with Superquack and fled the continent. For his birthday, Centauri received a river stone from Master Intelligence, something that came from the River of Light located behind NYC Hospital. The stone was later revealed to be mutated. It had helped Centauri save his memories when he was almost erased by the Styricat. He took this opportunity to tell Master Intelligence the dark truth about his parentage, and his Master promised to keep his darkest secret. In 2069, Centauri delved into his research, and finally learned that the Sword of Abomination was located at the workshop of George Thames II. He told this to Master Intelligence, who insisted that they could not steal the sword from him. This made Centauri furious, though Master Intelligence swiftly curtailed the argument after becoming uncharacteristically angry. Betrayal Centauri, still conflicted about his loyalty to the S.M.S.B., and with their plans for the revolution all but ready, confronted Master Intelligence in the meditation chamber. Soon, Master Intelligence said they needed to go to the Fun Room to check on Force Baby and Baby Strength. On the way, Centauri said he didn’t care about them or Intelligence at all, and they were merely in his way. When they arrived at their destination and headed inside, Intelligence declared that he no longer desired the Sword, and this led to an argument between the two. Disturbed, Baby Strength guided Force Baby away before intervening in Centauri’s and Intelligence’s argument, though Intelligence told him to stop. Centauri reminded Intelligence that he planned to share the Sword of Abomination and his authority once he had acquired both. Intelligence then said he understood Centauri was turning to the dark side and refused to help him. Baby Strength quietly said to kill Centauri on the spot, only to be rebuffed. With that, Centauri lost control and drew his sword, displaying his darker side. Although Baby Strength drew his own weapon, Intelligence initially refused to fight. Centauri attacked first, torturing Baby Strength with lightning, but Intelligence stepped in and telekinetically hurled him away, breaking the contact. Although Master Intelligence told Baby Strength to grab Force Baby and leave, Baby Strength insisted on staying. Centauri immediately assaulted both opponents, hurling fire and several Death beams at Master Intelligence. Master Intelligence then hurled a pile of rope at Centauri, binding him in moments. Intelligence drew his sword and held Centauri at bladepoint, announcing his arrest, but at that moment Baby Strength, insistent on the kill, destroyed the ropes. This intervention subsequently became a three-way duel between the three of them. Satisfied, Centauri fired a beam, which was deflected. They began to duel with their swords as Force Baby watched. Finally, Centauri kicked Master Intelligence and fired lightning at him. Master Intelligence countered with a torrent of energy from cuffs he was using, and the two attacks connected. However, Centauri broke the connection and incapacitated Baby Strength with a stun beam. He then lunged at Master Intelligence, but Baby Strength recovered and continued the swordfight. When Centauri wounded Baby Strength across the back, Master Intelligence was left to fight alone. Both of them immediately fired energy and lightning, and their attacks connected until Intelligence threw the tendrils into the wall, knocking both duelists to the ground. With that, Force Baby stepped out from where he was hiding. Master Intelligence and Centauri resumed the lightning lock. Force Baby used the Kraft to break the connection, but the death beams rebounded into him, killing the latter. Though the blast knocked out both duelists, Centauri awoke to see Baby Strength running to Force Baby’s corpse and crying in grief, and Master Intelligence sharing his friend's devastation. Unmoved by the spectacle, Centauri fled the MBH and received putative blame for Force Baby's death, thus confirming his place on the wrong side of the law and touching off his career as a Dark revolutionary. Feeling betrayed by Master Intelligence's perceived unwillingness to do what it took to end corruption, which he reasonably believed could only ever be sated, and by his accusations of deliberately killing Force Baby, he rematerialized on the border of New York City and decided to flee. Though he clearly underestimated Master Intelligence's forgiveness and the possibility the truth behind Force Baby's death would finally be uncovered someday. Thames Metalle and Egrevond After Centauri fled the MBH and New York City, he continued the search for the Sword of Abomination alone. Now on the side of darkness, Centauri adopted the alias of the Dark Flame for everyday use. He also found a cloak thrown out, and used his powers to reshape and clean it before putting it on. Walking across the sidewalk, he quickly remembered the rumors about George Thames II. As such, the Dark Flame broke into George’s workshop, laid in wait for the blacksmith to return, fired a stun beam at him, and stole the Sword, thereby becoming its new master. He had probably gotten the idea that the old owner of the Sword need not be killed in order for it to recognize a new master from Master Intelligence and Jonathan, as the prevailing lore at the time was that ownership passed only by murder. The Dark Flame flew away to the countryside and gave the Sword a heavy blast into the air, illuminating the light sky in the process. In the mix, Meyer's actions awoke Nebelon, who intrigued him. The Sword of Abomination in tow, Meyer went to her in Egrevond, reported to her how he was intrigued by her, and how he found Master Intelligence not as spectacular as he initially believed. He gave the Sword a heavy blast into the air, illuminating the night sky in the process. When Nebelon stood from the bench for which she was shackled, Meyer declared that he could not release her, or openly declare his desertion from the S.M.S.B., as he feared these things would bring about everything he meant to prevent. To this, Nebelon merely scowled at Meyer's message. The X-Adults: Endgame: The Inferno Relit Raid on Palmyra The Dark Flame first appears in Palmyra seeking the Map of Light, as he understood that if he destroyed it, the very fabric of the Light itself would burst apart. The Knights of Meyer soon discovered that the Map was in the possession of Eegan Grover in Palmyra who believed that the safety of the Map of Light was essential. The Dark Flame, who knew Eegan, brought his personal cruiser, Defilement, to Palmyra, where its military forces attacked Palmyra. Once the Knights of Meyer, under the command of Captain Photon, began the assault, the Dark Flame arrived on the battlefield and spun a huge tornado with his powers that wiped out the entire city. Moments later, he was shot at by Eegan himself, but the Dark Flame telekinetically stopped the bullet midair. He then proceeded to confront Eegan. The Dark Flame, whose true identity was known to the old man, demanded that Eegan give the Map of Light to the Knights of Meyer. Eegan refused to submit to the will of the dark side and reminded the one-time S.M.S.B. member that the Dark Flame could not escape his conflict, and that he still refused to give him anything, at which point the Dark Flame struck him down with his sword. Moments later, Jason Grover, Eegan's grandson, attempted to shoot him, but before he could, he was brought before the Dark Flame. The dark warrior realized that Eegan gave the map to Jason and ordered that the troopers bring the child onto the Dark Flame's command shuttle, before giving the order to kill the rest of the townspeople. One Knight of Meyer, KM-15, hesitated and ultimately chose not to fire on the civilians, an act that the Dark Flame noticed as he boarded his shuttle. The Dark Flame also recruited Toase, a low-key member of the U.S. Government, into his services at some point prior to this. Locating KM-15 Unknown to the Dark Flame at the time was that Jason had hidden the Map of Light with his sisters, Britney and Sue, who hid until the Knights of Meyer left Palmyra. Jason was brought aboard the Defilement for interrogation, where he was placed into an interrogation chair. The device was used by the dark warrior to extract information from his prisoners. Flame Order interrogators were unable to break Jason, but they did learn that he was related to Eegan, a feat that the Dark Flame noted once he began interrogating the boy personally. Though the dark mutant was impressed that Jason had not yet been broken, the Dark Flame began utilizing his powers to mentally extract the information from Jason's mind. The child, who resisted the power attack, finally was forced to reveal that he had hidden the Map with his sisters and that Sue and Britney were probably still in Palmyra. The Dark Flame informed George and Captain Photon of the new development and left the recovery of the Map in the hands of the military. Jason was left under the guard of several knights. KM-15, who planned to defect from the Knights of Meyer after coming to believe that they were a force for evil, tricked the guards into handing Jason over to him, under the pretense that the Dark Flame wanted the prisoner brought to him. KM-15 and Jason escaped aboard a skyfighter, which blasted its way out of the Defilement's hangar. The Dark Flame arrived on the bridge and was told that a Knight of Meyer helped Jason escape, and he realized that it was KM-15 after remembering how the conflicted soldier had hesitated in Palmyra. He immediately sent KM-29 to find the rogue knight. Return of the S.M.S.B. After Captain Photon gathered intelligence indicating the location of the MBH, the Knights of Meyer planned to raid the MBH. The Dark Flame Apparated into the front of the pack and took over leading the attack. The Dark Flame sensed that the S.M.S.B. had already returned from Asia following KM-15's demise and they were waiting for the assault. However, he was ultimately unconcerned; he believed this would be a day long remembered. With that, the Dark Flame called out to the MBH, stating that if they surrendered Master Intelligence to him by midnight, nobody in the mansion would be hurt. He did not care about the other members, except for Baby Strength. Master Intelligence announced that everyone would fight, for which the Dark Flame stated that he would grant them a “warrior’s death.” As the members of the S.M.S.B. prepared to hold off the Dark Flame, the Knights of Meyer launched attacks on the MBH but were kept from entering. After everyone came outside, the Dark Flame ordered his Knights to stand down now that he had everyone where he needed them and lay in wait for them to move. Once S.M.S.B. member Retrowoman ran screaming into the unprotected open, the Dark Flame jumped on and killed her, albeit reluctantly, refusing to look the baby in the eye. The general then perched himself on the top of the transport and hung from this point, surveying the remaining S.M.S.B. members before landing below and engaging them in combat, unleashing vicious sword attacks on his adversaries. As the Dark Flame fought Master Intelligence, an Advanced Commando squad led by Captain Forcier arrived in a gunship to rescue the S.M.S.B. members. While several troops followed the life signs of the surviving S.M.S.B. members, Forcier led other troopers to rescue Master Intelligence just as the Dark Flame was preparing to kill the disarmed S.M.S.B. Grandmaster. The ANOC troopers opened fire on the Dark Flame, who evaded the blasts, running across the roof of the compound. Grievous then landed on the ground, cutting through several troopers. Fordo brought in the gunship, and the Dark Flame quickly ran from the craft's gunfire and rockets. While Master Intelligence and the ANOC troopers escaped with the remaining S.M.S.B. members under treatment to recover from the devastating battle, the Dark Flame stole the fallen Baby Strength's sword as a trophy. The Dark Flame watched as the gunship fled from New York City, taunting the S.M.S.B. and stating that they had "only prolonged the inevitable." Shields Though the Dark Flame himself never appears directly, and is never mentioned either, he is revealed to have been impersonating Stacey Huddleston through a Shapeshifting Serum, hoping to manipulate two ambassadors, Littleton and Marchant, into freely giving him the Cuffs of Energy, one of the Arts, as both of them hoped to keep it safe from other parties. The ploy worked, and as they left, "Huddleston" smashed the empty bottle that previously held the contents of the serum and remarked to a woman named Toase who had accompanied him that they now had three of the Arts in their possession, and only needed one more, the Device of Teleportation, for which he would at long last become the Master of Mutantry. It is unknown how and when he successfully acquired the Orb of Power. ''The X-Adults: Endgame: The New Order ''Before The SMSB: Who Will Hold Dominion? Centuries before his birth, Thomas Meyer appeared to the Knight Drimsé Ur in a vision. The vision also included the superhero Master Intelligence, his apprentice Lindsay Kellerman, and the police officer Steven Grande; all four of them would be destroyed by the NoHeads. This vision would prove untrue, as the NoHeads never ended the lives of any of these four individuals, though it could be referring to their destinies being changed forever by the Dark Order. Relationships Master Intelligence , his former friend and great enemy.]] Master Intelligence first met Thomas when he was 24. They were introduced by Thomas’ great aunt, Myra Gordon. They got along almost instantly. They had much in common, including the quest for the Sword of Abomination and edgy ideals about the structure of a peaceful society. Intelligence’s personal feelings towards Centauri went unrequited, but their friendship was very close. But Centauri was a sociopath, and may have sensed that his friend’s affection for him could be used to monopolise his attention and push his moral envelope. They were very close for two decades, making plans to find the Sword of Abomination and lead a mutant revolution but Intelligence neglected the other S.M.S.B. members, as a result. Eventually, he began to turn against Intelligence, and confronted him. Intelligence's response, coupled with Baby Strength's intervention, caused Centauri to lose his temper and attack Baby Strength. Intelligence rushed forward to defend his pupil, and during the duel Force Baby was killed. Cerntauri fled, his friendship with Intelligence over. Baby Strength Baby Strength disliked Centauri immensely, as he was Master Intelligence’s friend after Red X. While Aberforth Baby Strength was spending more time alone, Intelligence and Centauri were planning a quest to locate the Sword of Abomination. As the two boys were planning to travel around the world, they also planned to take the S.M.S.B. with them. However, Centauri began to fall to the dark side. When Baby Strength opposed him, Centauri became very angry and assaulted Baby Strength with lightning; Master Intelligence then defended his student and the three boys had a duel, in which Force Baby was killed unintentionally. Centauri escaped and left the city. Baby Strength retained bitter memories towards Centauri for many years after their fateful encounter, and it did not help at all when Centauri, now the Dark Flame, murdered Master Intelligence. Mr. Stupid NoHead , the Dark Flame's idol.]] Mr. Stupid NoHead died before Centauri was born (but only by two years). However Centauri would come to admire and revere his power, though Thomas also came to fear that he may never be as powerful as the NoHead Grandmaster, he admired and revered in his idol's dark aspects. Like his obvious idol, the Dark Flame fell to the dark side, becoming known as the Dark Flame. Mr. Stupid NoHead is seemingly worse than his greatest fan. Although the Dark Flame was ruthless and hateful, he at least cared about his family, as well as having compassion and sympathy for them, as the Dark Flame would never kill a member of his own family in cold blood, not even for power. Although he claimed it was not true, Thomas Meyer was capable of love. References Category:Mutants Category:Reformed characters Category:Antagonists Category:Characters Category:6 foot characters Category:2020s births Category:Adults Category:Males Category:The X-Adults: Endgame characters Category:Villains Category:Tritagonists Category:The Super Babies villains Category:Swordsmen Category:Superheroes Category:Nephews Category:High body count Category:Shields characters Category:Imposters Category:D.I.T. characters